14 DAY TRIAL // A seven-year-old boy from Darlington, County Durham, is in danger every day because he suffers from one of the strangest allergies in the world – he is allergic to himself.
Junior Rucroft could have an asthma attack or other life-threatening allergic reactions because of his auto-allergy. Until now, he has been admitted to hospital more than 50 times struggling to breathe, because his body reacts badly to his own hair follicles.
However, besides the auto-allergy, Junior also has a number of other allergies that put his life in danger every day. According to the Daily Mirror, the schoolboy was first diagnosed with asthma and allergies when he was just one year old. Back then, he had a bad reaction to a tender kiss from his mother, after the woman had eaten a bag of nuts.
“It was terrifying and I didn’t have a clue why it was happening. I didn’t automatically put two and two together. The paramedics said they got there just in time. They gave him an adrenaline injection and oxygen until he got to hospital,” his mom Paula Hopps said.
Mrs. Hopps also mentions that after doctors ran a series of allergy tests, they determined the boy was allergic to a lot of things, such as nuts, pollen, cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, grass, house dust mites, and even human hair fiber.
Junior’s allergies are a matter of life and death for him because they could cause asthma attacks in any moment, so he and his family struggle every day to avoid triggering a bad reaction.
“He might get random attacks if he’s running up the stairs or if he’s getting emotional about something. If he’s happy and laughing or if he’s crying, that can trigger an attack. He’s been admitted to hospital well over 50 times,” his mother explains.
Junior, a pupil at Skerne Park Academy, has missed a lot of school because of his allergies and his many appointments at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
His 31-year-old mom said she could not believe it when doctors told her that her son was allergic to his own body.
“It’s crazy that Junior is allergic to his hair and I couldn’t believe it when I was first told – it seemed ridiculous. You can’t avoid your hair so we have to just make sure that Junior’s is kept short and that he doesn’t rub his head,” the woman said.
Moreover, the boy also struggles with his weight, as he has to take a whole cocktail of medication. Apparently, he can take part in PE lessons, but he must have 10 puffs of his inhaler before he starts any exercise.
Now, his mother hopes that a new combination of treatment involving FeNO tests are going to help him.